The present invention relates to a solution suitable for use as fertilizer for promoting the growth of grass and plants and as a soil amendment and method of preparing the solution. The invention further relates to a solid composition having utility as a fertilizer for grass and plants and as a soil amendment.
Many different types of grass and plant fertilizers and/or soil amendments are used commercially. Some of these fertilizers and/or soil amendments are based on sources of humic acid such as lignite or leonardite ore while others are based on marine algae such as kelp or seaweed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,570,537 to Finch for example illustrates a process for producing colloidal humus for use in horticulture or agriculture to assist the germination of seeds, the rooting and growth of cuttings, and the growth of seedlings and plants and to improve the fertility of the soil. The process consists of passing a composite solution containing a salt of alginic acid, inorganic plant food substances and plant growth hormones through a bed containing peat which has been inocculated with soil bacteria, collecting the fluid drained from the bed, precipitating the fluid in a bath of soluble calcium salt, straining the precipitate, removing residual fluid therefrom and drying the product so obtained. U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,084 to Karcher exemplifies a soil nutrient formed from lignite-leonardite ore. U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,257 to Sherwin et al. illustrates a soil conditioning and fertilizer compound composed of particulate seaweed intimately mixed with particulate tree bark.
Despite the numerous fertilizers and soil amendments commercially available, there is still a demand for improved products capable of serving a variety of needs.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solution which can be used in both horticulture and agriculture as a fertilizer with grass and plants as well as a soil amendment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive method for preparing the above solution.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a solid form of the above solution formulation suitable for use as a fertilizer for grass and plants and as a soil amendment.
These and further objects and advantages will become more apparent from the following description.